Proceedings | Highlights from the WSJ's Law Blog

Feb. 12, 2012 6:59 p.m. ET

A Creative Sentence: Flowers, Red Lobster Dinner, Bowling

After a spat with his wife last week, a Plantation, Fla., man found himself at a bond hearing in front of Broward Circuit Judge John "Jay" Hurley, facing a domestic-violence charge. But the man, Joseph Bray, didn't end up in jail. His sentence: go out on a date with his wife.

"He's going to stop by somewhere and he's going to get some flowers," the judge said, according to a video of the hearing. "And then he's going to go home, pick up his...